Laughing stock: the week in comedy + Michael J Fox | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/series/laughing-stock-the-week-in-comedy+culture/michael-j-fox
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Forget Edinburgh's funniest joke award. Have you heard the one about the Amused Moose?http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/aug/21/comedy-awards-edinburgh
French standup Alexis Dubus takes the comedy award for the best fringe show without a DVD deal, while Phil Nichol has it in for flyposters<p>As you'll know by now, the TV channel Dave has just <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/aug/21/edinburgh-fringe-funniest-jokes-revealed" title="">handed out</a> its annual award for best joke on the Edinburgh fringe. Less widely reported is the result of the Amused Moose Laughter Award, for the best show at the festival without a commercial DVD deal. The winner, as selected by industry and audience votes, is <a href="http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2012/08/20/15980/bravo%21" title="">Marcel Lucont</a>, the French alter ego of standup Alexis Dubus. He wins &pound;5,000; the runners-up are Alistair Barrie and Laurence Clark. Speaking of prizewinners, 2010 Foster's Award champ Russell Kane, whose difficulties with an echoey venue were first revealed <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/aug/16/russell-kane-edinburgh-festival" title="">here</a> – has <a href="http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2012/08/18/15974/sound_move" title="">changed venue</a> on the fringe, having claimed that his audiences had complained of being unable to hear. US misanthrope Eddie Pepitone has also moved, Chortle reports, after overzealous bouncers persistently turned away his audience – <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/aug/20/hugh-grant-turned-away-edinburgh-show" title="">Hugh Grant included</a>.</p><p>Most fringe standup shows are under an hour long, so for two people going to see some fringe shows: a pair of tickets costs around &pound;20 to &pound;30, drinks from &pound;3.60 to &pound;7 for a pint, etc. So go see 2 or 3 shows, have 2 or 3 pints each and something to eat and you are looking at anything from &pound;100 to over &pound;200 for a night out ... Or – go see some street performers and some of the free fringe shows, drink a few beers in a pub not a fringe venue and have a bite to eat from a good budget restaurant and you can have a day/night out at the fringe without spending a fortune.</p><p>I don't really see what, besides being enthusiastic, Russell Kane shares with Russell Howard ... I think Kane is one to watch because he develops themes – at the moment, it's the conflict between old masculine stereotypes and new. His getup is part of this &quot;new&quot; masculinity and comments on it all the time, which is why it might be unfair to dismiss him as &quot;all about the look&quot;...</p><p>His Twitter feed is some of the most vile sociopathic shit you'll ever read, and it's worrying how funny it is. He does a lot of these &quot;complete the sentence&quot; competitions, which are truly hilarious – the marketing depts. of these companies must break out in a cold sweat every time he responds to their tweets.</p><p>I'd also recommend the On Cinema podcast, to which Turkington contributes; it's a painfully accurate parody of amateur film review podcasters. If you listen to movie podcasts with any regularity, this will ring true, from the passive-aggressive relationship between the presenters to the head-smacking factual errors.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/aug/21/comedy-awards-edinburgh">Continue reading...</a>Edinburgh festival 2012ComedyComedyFringe theatreBritain's Got TalentSpinal TapJay LenoMichael J FoxNBCHBOJo BrandTue, 21 Aug 2012 16:10:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/aug/21/comedy-awards-edinburghMurdo Macleod/Murdo MacleodVanity project? Phil Nichol reckons he'd rather not see flyposters in Edinburgh. Photograph: Murdo MacleodMurdo Macleod/Murdo MacleodVanity project? Phil Nichol reckons he'd rather not see flyposters in Edinburgh. Photograph: Murdo MacleodBrian Logan2012-08-21T16:10:27Z